The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-29
! GREAT ENGINEERING FEAT.
An Iron Bridge Weighing 1 800 Tons
Moved from Its Position.

Moved from Its Position.
The New York Times has the following
dispatch from Philadelphia: TwothOusand
people saw a wonderful achievement of
engineering skill at Holmesburg Junction
on the New York division of the Pennsyl-
vania railroad to-day Thirty-two men
moved a distance of fifty feet the iron
bridge, weighing 1000 tons, that spans the
Pennypack, and they accomplished the great
task in the remarkable time of II Is minutes.
The engineers of the road had been long
making preparations for the work of to-day.
Some time ago the company decided to
build a four-archei stone bridge in the
place of the iron structure over the big
creek The iron bridge had to be moved
west fifty feet that it might be used until
the stone bridge is built and ready for
service.
Six weeks ago the men began the big
undertaking with the building of trestle APP
proaches to both sides of the creek at the
point where the iron bridge was to find
new bed. The trestling had an average
| height of twenty-fOur feet, and is on a line
with the grade of the old railroad. The
timbers of the western approach covered
about 276 feet, while the eastern approach
is 800 feet long. Piles were then driven in
the middle or the stream, on which was
reared strong trestlework fifty feet long
and on a level with and contiguous to the
stone pier under the bridge. Trestles of the
same length and height were then built on
both banks of the creek and in continu-
Gus line from the stone abutments. These
timbers were to serve both as the resting
place and as the carriage way, over which
the 2+foQt-wide bridge was to be gently
moved to its new foundation Two new iron
rails were laid along the wooden pier in the
stream and two rails on either of the
wooden abutments, and then the rails were
slipped under the centre and both ends Of
the bridge.
The rails were well creased. A trial late
yesterday afternoon showed that everything
was in good working order, and it was de
termined TO move the bridge this morning
after II :04 o'clock, when the fast mail train
which leaves New York at O'Clock swept
by. and before the approach of the Phila-
delphia express which leaves Jersey City at
10 O'Clock and passes Holmesburg Junction
at 1919 o'clock. Long before the hour to-
day, people began to flock to the scene. An
army of workmen appeared. Over 300
Italian and Irish laborers were marshal
ed on both sides of the bridge, while
four gangs of carpenters were under it,
George w. Mershon, the master mechanic
of the New York division, had charge of
the removal. He placed two men on each
side of a crab, making force of thirty-two
men to man the machines and the bridge
Old Billy Lair, foreman of carpenters,
was planted on the pier. Foreman Kinney,
from Morristown, had charge of the men at
the eastern abutment, while Master
Mechanic Mershon directed affairs from the
western end. Supt. Crawford, Assistant
Engineer Brooks, of the United Railroads
of New Jersey; Assistant Engineer Gest
and several other officers of the New York
Division, stood near the CRABS in the
centre of the bridge.
Every man was at his post, and the great
throng of people was watching with eager
interest when the whiz of the fast line was
heard, and the train Numbered over the
bridge, seven minutes late As it dashed
away Superintendent Ford gave the word
to his army of laborors, and it was a scene
of transitory animation as they tore up rails
and cut away the fastenings of the bridge.
The bridge had no sooner been released than
Mr. Mershon gave the signal, and the thir-
ty-two men began to wind the ''crabs" AS
the bridge began to slowly move more men
went on it pouring oil on the tallow- CREASED
rails. Superintendent Crawford and the
other officers held watches in their hands as
the big iron structure moved calmly toward
the end of the trestling. At one time
the eastern end began to lag, but it was
only for few moments, and soon the
bridge slid over the rails to its resting place
without mishap, and IN the brief period of
eleven and half minutes, while a mighty
cheer went up from the people. With light
ninglike rapfdity the gangs on both sides of
the creek tore up and laid down frogs,
switches, sleepers, and moved the rails to
the new bed. They soon had the rails con-
nected with the two tracks on the bridge
A half hour after the bridge had been cut
loose a heavy construction train was run
over the structure, and at 1919 the Phila-
delphia express dashed across. The work
was success, and tomorrow morning Con-
tractor McFadden's men will begin to tear
down the old stone pier and abutments, and
before two months the new stone bridge viii
be in service.